Petersen, Peter M.

Peter M. Petersen was born in Denmark in 1877, where he received an advanced education in agriculture and served as a dairy school professor in Jutland. After managing a cooperative creamery in his homeland, he immigrated to California in 1903 and initially worked as a stationary engineer in Stockton. His early career in America included managing creameries in Dairyville, Oregon, as well as Laton, Riverdale, and McFarland in California.

On October 1, 1915, Peter moved to Fresno and founded the Capital Creamery, later expanding into a modern plant at 2030 Fresno Street. Married on January 12, 1907, to Christina Williamson of Denmark, he raised two California-born sons, Harry Albert and Carl P. He was an active member of the Danish Brotherhood, the Maccabees, and the Danish Church, gaining widespread respect as a leading expert in the San Joaquin Valley dairy industry.